Strong Memory, Sharp Mind

MD Minirth Frank

Description

The words are on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't quite remember them. You've been there a hundred times, so why did you take the wrong turn? Outwardly, as people age they may be looking and feeling younger than their parents' generation--60 is the new 40, after all--but mental decline can begin as early as age 30, and it will impact everyone at some point. The increasing rate of dementia is sobering, and the personal, financial, and societal stakes are high. The good news is, just like diet and exercise can keep aging bodies healthier, the proper mental regimen can slow--even reverse--the deterioration of our mental capacity. In this practical and hopeful book, Dr. Frank Minirth gives readers trustworthy scientific insights, helpful assessments to measure mental sharpness, and proven strategies to preserve focus, memory, and brain power at every age. Each chapter includes brain boosters, exercises, and challenges, as well as engaging personal stories.

Sujets

• Popular psychology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 20 juin 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493407330
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2017 by Minirth Holdings, LLC
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-0733-0
The names and details of the people and situations described in this book have been changed or presented in composite form in order to ensure the privacy of those with whom the author has worked.
This publication is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed. Readers should consult their personal health professionals before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it. The author and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained in this book.
Dedication
I dedicate this book to all who seek to guard their minds
and to caretakers of those in mental decline—as a personal encouragement, as a source for information and help, and as a timely call to action.
Dr. Frank Minirth was a pioneer in Christian psychiatry. He posthumously received the inaugural Frank B. Minirth Christian Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Award by the American Association of Christian Counselors in 2015.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Dedication 5
Acknowledgments 11
How to Use This Book 13
Introduction 17
Part 1: Threats to Cognitive Health 23
1. It’s Your Choice 25
2. What Can Happen to Your Brain? 37
3. Your Aging Brain 53
4. Stress and Your Brain 71
5. Anxiety and Your Brain 101
6. Science Offers Hope 121
Part 2: How to Protect Your Mind 139
7. Revive Your Purpose 141
8. You Can Preserve Your Mind 153
9. Homework for Life 175
10. Mental Exercise with Words 191
11. Broad Knowledge—Better Brain 207
12. Finish Well! 225
Conclusion 239
Appendix A: The Brain and Memory 241
Appendix B: Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementias, and Cognition 249
Appendix C: Vocabulary Words 271
Appendix D: Answers to Brain Boosters 281
Notes 285
Bibliography 289
About the Author 297
Other Books by Frank Minirth 301
Back Ads 302
Back Cover 306
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank the legions of people who have helped me through years of physical, psychological, professional, and spiritual growth. Included are theologians, medical doctors, authors, professors, friends, family, and, most of all, my loving wife, Mary Alice.
Special thanks to Jane Mack, science journalist, for preparing this manuscript for publication.
How to Use This Book
Brain on Board
You don’t see it or feel it. You can’t hear it or hold it.
It’s out of sight, out of mind.
Don’t drift through your thirties, forties, and fifties,
then suddenly realize your brain is fading.
Don’t settle for it being just “good enough.”
You deserve better than that.
Don’t take your brain for granted.
I wrote this book for those who want a basic understanding of the brain’s strengths and vulnerabilities and what can be done to reduce the risk of mental decline. My hope is that the content will motivate you to take personal action to keep your mind sharp.
I’ve included many lists throughout this book because it’s the best way to package a lot of information so it can be processed and retained by the brain. Scan the lists and stop on the items that catch your attention. Some repetition exists because repetition helps learning.
I’ve designed this book as a personal workbook for readers of all ages and as a caregiver’s handbook. It’s a helpful resource for every person, family, counselor, care center, health-care provider, senior citizen group, and mental health care agency.
Keep a Pen and Highlighter Handy
I encourage you to mark meaningful passages for frequent review and to highlight the action tips and how-to lists. Noting these will provide a good basis for making a personalized “brain-care action plan.” Keep refreshing the plan by reviewing this book for more ideas.
It’s also important to engage in the Brain Boosters mental exercises. They are designed to be reviewed over and over because cognition works through repetition. Learning broad knowledge rekindles and increases memory tracks. If you have difficulty with some of the exercises, don’t quit. Researching the answers will help you retain the knowledge. Keep studying and repeating these exercises until you master them with speed and accuracy. The answers can be found in appendix D.
Brain Fitness Is a Ticket to a More Vital Life
I encourage everyone, whether you’re thirty or sixty or eighty, to take this book to heart because a mind is a terrible thing to lose. Every individual has to make the personal choice to protect his or her memory for a better chance to make it through old age with an intact, robust mind. In this case, choices really do matter. Don’t let each birthday mark more lost memories, diminished skills, and waning relationships. Life’s many opportunities and blessings can drift away with age if the brain isn’t nourished and exercised.
Note
Medical information about the brain changes at a rapid rate. What is thought to be true today may be better elucidated tomorrow, so errors are possible. Never disregard or delay seeking medical advice because of something heard from the media, read in a book, or seen on the internet.
Some of the content of this book is technical, but readers will glean a greater awareness of and appreciation for the complexity, vulnerabilities, and miraculous powers of the human brain.
This book is not intended as a specific guide for any medical diagnosis or treatment; medical doctors should be consulted for all medical conditions. It includes general references to common information. When deciding on specifics of any medical actions, symptoms, diagnoses, prognoses, or treatments, many aspects must be considered. The information given here may not be absolute or complete; variations, coinciding factors, and updates may exist.
Introduction
Memory Matters
At birthday celebrations, I hear phrases such as “the thirties are the new twenties,” “the forties are the new thirties,” and “the fifties are the new forties.” People brag about looking and feeling younger than their parents did at the same chronological age.
We want our minds to stay dynamic too. But after high school or college, some people never pick up another book or take another class. The more fit we keep our brains, the better they’ll withstand the rigors of aging, protect our well-being, and lead to life satisfaction.
Everyone wants to be happy, healthy, loved, and reasonably prosperous and to enjoy fulfilling relationships. These core desires keep us motivated. Our decisions are based on these desires as well as habits, others’ demands, impulsive urges, and conscious planning. And every day we choose what thoughts to dwell on and words to say, and what to do and not do. Each choice has far-reaching ramifications. Bit by bit, we form patterns that direct our lives and interpersonal interactions.
Something you may have not considered is that none of this is possible without a healthy brain. Your mind controls behavior, and if your mental status is compromised, days, weeks, months, and years can be difficult for you and your family.
I hope this book will motivate you to refresh healthy choices and to follow through with a brain-care action plan. Keep modifying the plan along the way as you age and life events change. It’s okay to start with the easiest steps. Just start.
Don’t Just Let Nature Take Its Course
If you’ve hit your early thirties, your brain’s natural aging process has started. It may take longer to memorize and learn new things, and your verbal fluency, perception, and reasoning skills are slowing down.
Changes in the mind and body continue through every life phase. But the older we get, the more dramatic the symptoms seem: our hair and skin look different, and memories often begin to fade. This impacts everyone at some point, but there is help and hope to keep our minds intact through the senior years.
What are your concerns and goals? The sooner you start taking the memory-care steps suggested in this book, the more progress and positive outcomes you’ll experience as the years pass. You can stay sharp mentally by exercising and nurturing the wondrous infrastructure of your brain.
There is a broad spectrum of brain function. During the typical life span, brain function starts high and decreases as risk factors take their toll:
(1) From a superior functioning brain → (2) to average cognition → (3) to a slight decrease in cognition → (4) to early cognitive decline → (5) to minor neurocognitive dysfunction → (6) to major neurocognitive dysfunction.
Where do you think you are in this process now? Where would you like to be? This book can help you get there. Don’t regret that you didn’t act sooner. Early detection of mental decline is the key to a better long-term prognosis.
Do You Want a Sharper Mind? It’s Possible at Any Age
When one of my daughters was young, I asked, “Do you want to boost your brainpower?” She did. Today, she is a medical doctor and psychiatrist.
In response to a frail, elderly pastor’s request for help with his fading memory, I asked, “Do you want to boost your brainpower?” He did. He has returned to preaching and is enjoying a thriving ministry.
It’s encouraging to know that brainpower can be increased at any age—through childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood, and even in the senior years. The benefits of controlling, challenging, directing, and improving our